The New Forest

I chose it mostly because I had heard that it was a magical place where wild ponies roam the streets and the forests are supposedly beautiful at this time of year but it was also the boys birthday so I wanted to go somewhere a bit special that we hadn't been before.

On our first day we took the recommended walk from our hotel the Chewton Glen (full review here) to the sea. We slipped into our matching Hunters and set off on the pituresque journey through the forest.

I definitely think we picked the right time of year to go, it was crisp but not freezing and the woods were still beautifully autumnal and alive.

It's rare that I get to see the sea in England as I don't stray from London too often and when I go on holidays it is usually to France to see my family there. I must say it surpassed my expectations and was actually really beautiful.

We were surprised at how clear the water was, we sat and enjoyed the quiet - there is something a little hypnotic about staring out to sea.

After our walk we wanted to explore a bit more and I definitely wanted to see some ponies so we asked reception where the best place to go was and they recommended the small town of Burley where the ponies are known to wonder through the streets.

I was not disappointed. The ponies believe that they have right of way here and don't seem to realise the danger of ongoing traffic and people.

You are told not to touch or feed them as they don't want the ponies to become a pest to people or unable to fend for themselves.

That being said they were very friendly and trotted over to us as soon as we got out of the car to have a closer look so I had to contain myself and keep my distance… I am a bit of a fan of the equine kind if you hadn't already guessed.

The New Forest is a really beautiful part of the country and I would highly recommend a visit.

Look out for more posts about where we stayed in the New Forest coming up soon!